In time of war or during emergency operations occasioned by fire, earthquake, flood and other natural disasters, the injured or dead need to be moved from sites to which gurneys typically cannot gain access. Ambulances and paramedic units frequently need to transport patients from accident sites to gurneys for further transfer to a hospital or clinic. At the hospital or clinic, the patient must further be transported from the ambulance gurney to a gurney or temporary bed at the emergency room. Various types of medical facilities utilize gurneys and other various stationary and mobile patient bearing structures, such as carts, beds, and tables, to examine and/or transport patients within the facility.
During such patient transfers, potentially infectious biological fluids, such as blood and mucus, may contaminate the surfaces or soak into mattresses, and the like, on such patient bearing structures, thereby increasing susceptibility to infection for occupants, as well as for medical practitioners and facility personnel.
Fresh linen is typically placed onto mattresses of patient bearing structures prior to each new patient's occupancy, but washing or cleaning of patient bearing structures is considerably less frequent. Manual cleaning often consumes valuable nursing time and also removes the patient bearing structure from service for an extended period of time. Further, manual cleaning is not sufficiently reliable because contaminated stains are seldom completely eliminated, and thus the risk of transferring pathogens still exists.
To overcome the problem of contamination of gurneys and/or gurney mattresses, U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,025 discloses a gurney with a protective covering having side pieces that fit over the railings of a gurney. The gurney side railings can be raised or lowered while the protective covering is in place. However, the gurney covering does not led itself to transport of a patient either to the gurney or from the gurney to another patient bearing structure.
Many of the devices in use for patient transfer are mechanically complicated or require undue manipulation of the patient. For example, a survey of existing practices and techniques suggests that there are a number of devices and methods for transferring patients that utilize a hoist type lift where the patient is suspended in a sling. The sling must first be manipulated under the patient and then the patient must be physically lifted. There are also roller boards which are inserted partially under the patient and then the patient is pulled onto the roller board. Again, the patient must be manipulated to allow the board to be inserted and then the body is pulled onto the board. In the end, the patient ends up on the board, not on the gurney or bed. An additional disadvantage of the roller board is that either the patient must cooperate with the individual making the transfer, or more than one person is required to effect the transfer.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,547 covers a lift/transfer mechanism mounted on an otherwise generally conventional patient gurney, suited for lifting and transferring a patient between the gurney and an adjacent bed or operating table. The mechanism is designed to allow a single orderly to roll the patient onto or off of the transfer mechanism, thereby allowing most transfers to be completed by only one orderly. A patient board is part of the lift/transfer mechanism and provides the platform upon which the patient would lie while being moved to or from the gurney. However, an elaborate mechanical apparatus is needed to operate the lift mechanism, including boom arms respectively mounted at two adjacent corners of the gurney, lift straps connected between the boom arms and the patient board, and an electrical winch to lift and lower the patient board vertically as needed. Further examples of such patient transport systems are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,819,339 and 5,784,730.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for an inexpensive, preferably fluid resistant and/or disposable, patient transport device designed to carry a patient from a site of injury and/or to place the patient upon a gurney or other patient transport device.